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One savvy traveler enjoyed an incredible 137-mile bus tour in one day for just £10, after taking advantage of a bus fare cap.

Andrew Cowell, 47, set off from his home in Allestree, Derby, arriving in Whitby ten hours after traveling on five buses. The 137-mile journey should have cost Andrew around £38, but due to the government’s £2 limit on bus fares in England, he only paid £10.

Andrew first took the Trans Peak bus from Allestree to Matlock at 6:40am and at 8:00am took the X17 to Barnsley, arriving at 10:55am After a five minute change he took the 96 to Barnsley to Wakefield and then took the 110 to Leeds, arriving at 12:51 p.m.

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About 25 minutes after arriving in Leeds, he caught the 840 Coastliner which arrived in Whitby three and a half hours later at 16:40. Railway worker Andrew said: “It was partly inspired by a woman who traveled from London to Scotland on buses.

“I knew I was going to have some holidays between jobs, so I looked at where I could go from Derby, which was a nice place to spend the night. I have a bit of prior knowledge because I work in public transport.” but I planned and researched on the bus company websites.”

Although people often think buses are delayed or cancelled, Andrew said “everything ran smoothly” and all the buses “arrived and left right on time.” He said: “The coastline he was taking was the last one from Leeds to Whitby.

“He had a five-minute connection at Barnsley so I was a bit worried, but everything worked perfectly and he was in and out right on time.”

Andrew said his favorite bus route was the 840 Coastliner, which runs from Leeds to Whitby via the Yorkshire Moors. The rail operations planner said: “The Coastliner traverses the Yorkshire moors and then goes to where Heartbeat is being filmed.

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“It was a sunny day so it was quite a ride from the top deck of the bus. It’s three and a half hours but to be honest it doesn’t feel like that when you’re on the top deck because there’s plenty to keep you interested as soon as you’re out of Leeds”.

Andrew has said that although the ‘industry is threatened’ with rising costs, his trip showed that ‘buses are showing up’ and that they are not ‘as bad as people think’. He said: “The industry is under threat like never before with rising costs and a Covid recovery. But I think as this trip showed, the basics were right and buses came along so it’s probably not as bad as what people think.”

Andrew added: “I have a car like many people, but I use it when there is no alternative. I think the thing about public transport is that it tends to be seen as gain for loss, but it provides a safe service for quite a few older people. .

“It combats loneliness and gives access to people with jobs who otherwise couldn’t have that job if the bus wasn’t there. You should value the bus because you won’t know what you’ve lost before it’s gone.”

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